


some kind of proof it's not a dream

by oceanvirus



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Episode: s02e23 Johnny and Dora, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Missing Scene, Partners to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 17:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10723800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanvirus/pseuds/oceanvirus
Summary: Five times Jake and Amy pretended to be in love, and one time they weren't pretending.(A.K.A. An account of the times Jake and Amy have fake-dated)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *banging pots and pans together* IT'S DONE WE DID IT KIDS, welcome to the thing that has been actively consuming my life for a week and a half
> 
> this was very fun to write, fake dating is the undisputed champion of all tropes and i am not below writing SIX different scenarios of this trope for one fic, also i love writing their text messages because i text like both of them in equal parts (but mostly like my dear son yakob peralberg)
> 
> anywhoops enjoy this thing

“Is there no other way we could pull this off?” Amy groaned, smoothing out the front of her blouse impulsively. 

“Why? Afraid that you're not gonna be able to resist my wily charms once you've gotten a taste?” Jake fired back, waggling his eyebrows. 

“Be serious, Peralta. Captain McGintley gave us a deadline on this case, he wants us back at the precinct with Marston’s arrest report done by tomorrow.” Amy grumbled at him, unclipping her badge from her belt and shoving it into her purse. 

“And that's why you should trust me on this. Or don't, we're doing it anyways.” He said, kicking the car door closed as he stood. Amy just rolled her eyes and conceded defeat, pushing off the old mustang and starting towards the restaurant. 

She didn't make it far, though – Jake had hooked a hand around her arm and pulled her back gently. She looked back at him with a scowl, but he spoke up before she could tell him off. 

“You can't go in like that, you still look like a cop.” He mumbled. Reaching behind her, he carefully pulled her hair out of its clip and rearranged it over one shoulder. “Untuck your shirt a little bit. Also, your handcuffs are still showing.”

As much as she wanted to argue, Amy complied, untucking her blouse and opening the top two buttons. She passed her handcuffs to her partner, who tucked them away in his jacket pocket and offered her a lopsided grin.

“Alrighty then. The unauthentic Italian cuisine awaits, m’lady.” Jake motioned for her to take the lead, and they made their way towards the restaurant. As they rounded the corner, Amy started slightly at the sensation of fingers intertwining with hers. 

“Chill, Santiago. Marston’s not gonna buy it if you don't take it down a notch.” Jake murmured, his palm warm against hers.

“Sorry. I'm a little on edge.” She muttered back as she relaxed her posture, adjusting her grip so her hand rested more comfortably in his. 

He bumped his shoulder against hers lightly and offered her a reassuring grin. “You'll do fine. You got your wire on?”

Amy tapped her collar in confirmation. “Tested it before we left.”

“Dope.”

The two of them had been working together for a little over four months now, and against Amy’s better judgement, she was slowly getting used to his immaturity. Sure, she still wanted to dump the contents of her trash can over his head on a daily basis, but unlike when she first started at the Nine-Nine, those occurrences had been mediated by a few rare moments of sincerity on Jake’s part.

He pushed open the door to the restaurant, ushering Amy in. “Follow my lead,” he whispered from behind her. 

The object of their attention, Freddie Marston, sat at a booth near the back of the poorly-lit restaurant. They'd been tailing him for a little less than a week, building up their case file – Amy was positive he was their guy, and Jake had taken her word for it, but they were just shy of enough evidence against Marston to hold up in court, so they had devised a plan to expose him.

“Hi, welcome to _La Griglia _. Table for two?” A bored-looking waitress appeared from behind a set of double doors, tray in hand.__

__“Yes, please. Would we be able to sit near that back corner?” Jake asked, voice low enough so that Marston wouldn't hear him, but still audible. Normally, Amy would object to asking wait staff to choose their own table – she had done her fair share of waitressing through college, and knew how annoying it was – but something told her this woman wouldn't bat an eye if they walked into the kitchen and made their own dinner._ _

__“Whatever.” The waitress replied, rolling her eyes and leading them towards the back. Jake grinned, tugging on Amy’s hand as they followed. The place was pretty barren – aside from themselves and their target, she could count how many other people were there on one hand._ _

__They were brought to a table a few spots away from Marston, and Jake cleared his throat loudly once the waitress had left. “Have a seat, sweetheart. I hear this place makes an amazing eggplant parmigiana.”_ _

__“Wonderful, I've been craving Italian for days,” Amy replied, a bit too loud and gawky to be believable. Jake squeezed her hand gently and gave her a pointed look before pulling her chair out and seating himself across the table. “I hope this place isn't too expensive.”_ _

__“Nonsense, darling. You know well enough we can afford it. Or have you forgotten about my luck with the family fortune? With the money coming our way, we'll be able to eat out every night.” Jake stated, voice raised just enough to be overheard. He smirked slightly when he saw Marston’s head turn towards them from the corner of his eye._ _

__Amy just smiled at him gently. “That sounds wonderful, babe. Maybe we’ll finally be able to go on that Europe trip we’ve always dreamed of.”_ _

__Jake laughed, beaming at her. “Sure thing. I just wish that our insurance agent hadn't moved away. He had some good ideas for investments. You know how awful I am with money.”_ _

__This seemed to grab Marston’s attention, as he stood and waltzed up to their table, grinning smugly. “Hey, folks. I don't mean to pry, but I hear you need some insurance help?”_ _

__Jake’s eyes glinted with pride, and he turned to face the older man. “Why, yes. Do you know a guy?”_ _

__“I certainly do, young fella. Freddie Marston, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” He drawled out, shaking Jake’s hand firmly. He turned to Amy, and she forced a sweet smile as he kissed the back of her hand, fighting off a shudder._ _

__“I deal in personal insurance. All I need from you is a down payment of $2,000 and I can ensure your fortune will last you a lifetime and a half.” Marston promised._ _

__“Wow, that sure sounds great! What do you think, babe?” Amy turned to Jake, silent pleading in her eyes. She was _so _ready for this to be over. They had enough from the recording to prove his intentions, and coupled with what they already had on him, it would be sufficient enough to make an arrest. Jake seemed to have gotten the message, as he mirrored Amy’s expression back to her.___ _

____“Let me just grab my wallet, here, Mr. Marston - I'll write you a check for the amount.” He stated as he reached for his cuffs, pulling them out and promptly slapping them on Marston’s wrists. “Oops, I lied. Freddie Marston, you're under arrest for embezzlement and insurance fraud.”_ _ _ _

____Ignoring the protested shouts from their collar, Jake smiled across the table at Amy as she read out the Miranda rights. She beamed back proudly, and took up residence at his side as they led Marston back out of the restaurant._ _ _ _

____“Told you we’d be fine.” Jake exclaimed brightly._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, you did. I never would’ve guessed we’d be a convincing couple,” Amy added, smug._ _ _ _

____“Hey, you were the one who suggested it in the first place!” He retorted._ _ _ _

____“No, I suggested we stake him out for a few more days before trying the undercover approach. I guess you couldn't resist this any longer,” She joked, motioning to herself._ _ _ _

____“…is something no lover of yours has ever said!” Jake tacked on to the end of her sentence, earning himself a whack on the arm as they walked back to his car, Marston in tow._ _ _ _

____It was still a slow-going process, learning to trust each other like they had on that day, but Amy reminded herself that in the end, it would be worth it to have a partner she can rely on, no matter how far away that day seemed._ _ _ _

____If only she knew how close it really was._ _ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

Amy was no stranger to creeps hitting on her in bars. That doesn't mean it didn't annoy her to no end – she hated it with every fibre of her being when some greasy-looking guy sauntered up to her to deliver some uninspired and mildly offensive pick-up line.

Usually in these situations, she had an easy out. She only ever went out drinking with Kylie, and they had devised a system; if one of them was stuck fending off some drunk idiot’s flirtations, they would get the other’s attention and rely on them to think of a creative excuse. 

So when she goes out to Shaw’s with the squad for the first time and herself, Jake, and Gina are the last ones to leave, Amy is at a loss for what to do when she’s momentarily left alone and she's been cornered by a gross-looking forty-something man who reeked of beer and cigarettes. 

“Hey there,” he leaned against the counter, much too close for comfort. 

Amy, ever the people-pleaser, smiled politely but didn't respond. 

“What, nothin’ ta say? Stunned into silence by whatcha see?” He leered, gesturing to himself.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then pulled herself together. “Sorry, I'm just tired.” She ended, hoping he would take the hint. 

As per her usual luck, he didn't. 

“Not as tired as you'll be after a night with me, darlin’.” He grinned, seemingly proud of himself for coming up with that. 

Amy didn't bother hiding the displeasure on her face. “I'm not interested. Sorry.”

“C’mon, doll. Gimme a chance.” He was leaning even closer now, and after a quick scan of the crowd revealed no Jake or Gina anywhere in sight, she whipped out her phone quickly, ignoring him to the best of her ability as she searched for Jake’s name. The man was still talking, but it was mostly unheard as she fired off a text.

> _Contact: Jake Peralta_  
>  Sent: 10:17 PM  
>  Hey, where'd you go? Could use a hand. Creepy dude won't leave me alone and I think Gina’s still dancing. 

Jake's response was almost instantaneous.

 _Contact: Jake Peralta_  
Rcvd: 10:17 PM  
jake 2 the rescue

 _Contact: Jake Peralta_  
Rcvd: 10:18 PM  
ur knight in shining armor is on his way

Amy rolled her eyes before locking her phone and putting it down, attention turned back to the creep.

He trailed one hand down her shoulder, and she batted it away quickly, glaring full-force as he spoke. “So what's a fine, exotic specimen like yaself doin’ all by her lonesome? Must be my lucky day.”

As if on cue, she saw Jake emerge from the bathroom. He shot a reassuring smile and a thumbs up in her direction and started pushing his way through the crowd of bar-goers, and Amy prayed he had some semblance of a plan.

“I'm not ‘by my lonesome’, I’m with a group. And trust me, it's not your lucky day.” She spoke through her teeth, trying her hardest to sound concise. As much as she hated when things like this happened, it paled in comparison to the anger she felt when words like ‘exotic’ and ‘specimen’ were thrown into the mix.

The man looked around in an exaggerated fashion, grinning widely. “This group of yours, are they ghosts? I don't see no one to stop me from gettin’ you all to m’self.”

At that moment, Jake slid into the stool on her other side, whispering as he passed her ear. “Just go with me on this.”

Amy wasn't quite sure what he meant by that until his arm wrapped around her waist and he planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. She froze momentarily, her face heating up, then relaxed into him. Logically, this was probably the easiest way to get Gross Dude to back off, and Amy would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the way she fit against him almost perfectly, and how soft his lips were against her skin.

“Hey, babe. Who's this? Make a new friend while I was gone?” Jake asked, smiling softly. Her heart skipped a beat when she met his eyes, and she quickly looked away to gather her thoughts, inwardly cursing herself. She'd attributed her reaction to the fact that she hadn't gone on any dates in a while. 

“I’m so glad you're back. I don't know him, just…just some creep. Won't leave me alone.” She said, chewing on the inside of her lip nervously.

The guy watched the entire scene unfold with his jaw hanging open, then frowned. “Why didn't you tell me you wasn't single? My man, I'm sorry for tryin’ ta steal your girl. Wasn't my intention.” He turned to Jake as he spoke, then grumbled softly to no one in particular. “Wasted all my damn charm on nothin’…”

Amy laughed under her breath, and Jake squeezed her lightly in silent encouragement. She knew one of Jake’s favourite things was seeing her crush some poor drunk slob’s spirits with a wicked comeback, so she spoke up again with more confidence. 

“Charm? I could've sworn you were trying to get me to throw my drink at you.” She smiled sweetly as she said the words, smug satisfaction lighting up her features as she felt Jake’s chest rumble with laughter beneath her. Somewhere behind them, she could hear Gina cackling, and her smile only grew wider at the sound.

The guy just gaped at her before his face turned red, brows furrowing. “Whatever, I didn’t wanna come anywhere near that anyways. Dumb bitch.” He growled as he grabbed his jacket, storming off. 

Jake heaved a sigh as he pulled his arm back, and Amy tried to ignore the disappointment that swept through her. She shook it off and turned to face him, still beaming. 

“Thank you so much. God, I hate men like that.” She muttered, downing the rest of her drink.

“Anytime, seriously. Like, what is it with dudes nowadays?” Jake groaned, flagging down the bartender. “It's like, a girl will tell them ‘no’ 47 times and they won't get the message, but as soon as another guy claims to be her boyfriend, he backs off? It's so dumb.” 

“I know,” Amy replied. “You should've heard some of his attempts before you showed up. The fact that he smelled like an ashtray wasn't helping his case either.” She added. 

Jake ordered their go-to drinks – a beer for him, vodka cranberry for her – and cleared his throat apprehensively. “Hey, I, uh…Sorry. Or whatever. If I crossed a line. I just- I figured that would be the best way to get him to go away.” He spoke earnestly, and her expression softened. 

“It's fine, Jake. It worked, right? It was just like being undercover.” She spoke carefully, watching him. Relief flooded her as the corners of his mouth pulled up into a small smile.

“I guess so, yeah. It's just dumb that that’s what I had to do to get him to leave you alone.” He grumbled, taking their drinks from the bartender and passing Amy hers. 

Gina waltzed up behind them at that precise moment, a shit-eating grin firmly in place. “Didn't know you had it in you, Amy. That was ice cold. That idiot had it coming, though.”

“Thanks, Gina.” Amy smiled, glowing with pride. She'd been with the Nine-Nine for one and a half years already, but compliments from the snarky administrator were few and far between, so she relished in each one she received.

“Plus, I gotta say,” Gina stopped mid-sentence to down a shot, shaking her head and continuing on, “You two sure do make a convincing couple. I don't think I've ever seen Jake that eager to–” 

“Alright, I think you've had enough,” Jake stopped her before she could finish, swiftly taking away the mixed drink she held. Gina just frowned in annoyance before winking at Amy and bouncing off to the dance floor.

A few quiet minutes after her departure, Amy cleared her throat, speaking with as much gratitude as she could muster. “Thanks again, Jake.”

He turned to look at her, an unfamiliar sincerity in his eyes. “It's no problem. Ain't no thang.” He said, smiling softly before taking on his usual light, joking tone. “Although, don't get me wrong – I am 100% gonna call you next time I need a pretend girlfriend. We're getting pretty good at this whole fake-dating thing.” He grinned.

Amy just chuckled, punching him lightly in the arm. “In your dreams, Peralta.”


	3. Chapter 3

Being in law enforcement is not the safest job in the world. One had to know this before choosing to pursue a career in the field. Amy had accepted the risks that came with being a detective, telling herself it was worth it for keeping the community safe, and had readied herself for the day she or someone she worked with was injured in the line of duty.

But no matter how much mental preparation she had done, there was no way anything in the world could've braced her to see her bruised and bloody partner being loaded into an ambulance.

“I'll cut him off at the exit, go!”

Those were the last words Amy had spoken to Jake before everything went south. 

They'd been chasing their guy – a 6-foot-something, Terry-level-fit guy named McNeil, who’d robbed six electronics stores at gunpoint – through an old warehouse complex for 15 minutes, scheming in the midst of pursuit to try cornering him when he ran down a hallway that would almost make it too easy to apprehend him. Amy had burst through a side door, racing to where the hallway led, and was just coming up around the corner when she heard a few thuds followed by a loud groan. Keeping silent, she quickly crouched down near the door, poised and waiting. Not two seconds later, it swung open and Amy pounced up, incapacitating their target with ease. 

Over the four years that they'd been partners, Jake had gotten used to her taking down guys twice her size, but he still never failed to whistle or make some dumb comment about how impressed he was. That was why Amy turned her head at his lack of response this time. Upon looking through the door to her partner, she realized why he was so silent: because he was on the ground, clutching his shoulder with a pained grimace. Judging by his careful position, she guessed that he had bruised, or maybe even cracked a rib or two. The beginning of a black eye was blossoming across his left temple, and he was bleeding profusely from an alarmingly large gash on his shoulder. 

Her brain went on autopilot as she cuffed McNeil to the railing out front, hastily patting him down for any concealed weapons before running to crouch by Jake’s side. 

“Jesus, Peralta. What happened?” Her hands quickly undid the top few buttons of his shirt, granting her easier access to the laceration that had torn through the material.

“He…he got the drop on me, he had a pocketknife, or something.” He wheezed out, motioning to the grimy-looking switchblade on the ground a few feet away from them. Jake groaned loudly as he made a feeble attempt to sit up. “C’mon, let's bring him in.”

“Oh, no you don't. You’re bleeding everywhere and you probably messed up your ribs.” She took off her blazer in one swift move and thrusted it at him. 

“Put pressure on it, you can use this for the blood. Keep it elevated. Stay here, I'll be right back.” She stood, ignoring his half-hearted protests as she practically dragged their collar back to the cruiser and abruptly shoved him into the backseat, clipping his cuffs to the designated hook on the console.

Grabbing a first aid kit from the glovebox, she locked the door and turned on her heel, running back to where Jake was. She whipped out her phone as she went, sending a quick text to Rosa and then calling for an EMT.

“You still with me?” She muttered as she made her way to Jake and kneeled next to him. He had managed to sit himself up against the wall and was pressing the bloody, probably permanently stained jacket against his shoulder. His head was tipped back against the wall and he breathed out a slow, pain-filled breath.

“Yep. I’m fantastic. I definitely don't...don't feel like I just got hit by a truck.” His eyes squeezed shut as he spoke. 

“Okay, well…EMTs are on their way, five minutes tops. I texted Diaz, she's gonna process McNeil so I can meet you back at the hospital.” Amy rambled mindlessly as she removed the fabric from his wound, batting his hand away idly. The bleeding had slowed a bit, but it still trickled down his chest in a steady stream, so she swapped the blazer for a large piece of gauze. 

“You don’t have to-” He cut off his sentence with a yelp as she pressed the gauze firmly to his shoulder. “You d-don’t have to come with me, I’m…I'm fine.” 

“You don't look fine. Can you stop arguing and just be still for two seconds? You're gonna over-exert yourself if you keep trying to sit up like that.” Her voice was growing more irritated by the minute, but it was severely undercut by the panic in her eyes.

Jake must've sensed her impending freak-out, as he didn't fight it and just leaned his head back again, earning an appreciative sigh from Amy. Their partnership had started off a bit rocky, but over time, they had slowly gotten better – for instance, Jake could recognize when she was on the verge of panicking, and knew when to stop joking around, so as to make it a little less stressful on her. Amy could tell when he was getting restless and knew when to strike up a conversation or offer to let him tag along to interview a suspect, so as to give him something to keep his mind busy. Two and a half years ago, they wouldn't have been able to do that.

A relieved sigh left her lips as she heard sirens approaching, and she patted Jake’s knee lightly before going to flag down the ambulance. 

The sirens flipped off when they caught sight of her, and much to Amy’s confusion, Rosa disembarked from the back, breaking into a light jog towards where she stood.  
“Diaz? I thought…” Amy trailed off.

“Hey. Figured you'd want to go with Peralta, so I hitched a ride. Gimme your keys.” She demanded. Slightly stunned, Amy handed the cruiser’s keys over. “How is he?”

“He should be fine. Our perp had a knife and caught him in the shoulder. I think he might've cracked a rib, too.” Amy explained. Rosa just rolled her eyes and sighed, turning back towards the cruiser. 

“Text me when you guys get to the hospital. Or if…I don't know. If something goes wrong. See ya.” Rosa muttered, stomping away with her glare fixed on the perp in the backseat. Amy almost felt bad for McNeil for a second, but then not so much. He tried to stab her partner, he deserved whatever hell Diaz would unleash on him. All Amy was certain of is that she’d do anything to avoid being on the receiving end of Rosa’s anger.

She turned back to where the medics were easing Jake onto a stretcher, his face contorted in pain, and froze, her concern rooting her to the ground where she stood. Amy took a moment to collect herself before she walked up to them and started to climb into the ambulance. However, her path had been blocked: an EMT held his arm out in front of her, barring her from entering. 

“Sorry, ma’am. Family or spouses only.” He said, deadpan. 

There were a million and a half ways Amy could have handled this. She could've flashed her badge and demanded to be let on. She could've backed down and hitched a ride to the hospital with Rosa. She could've told them that he was her partner and she just wanted to make sure he was okay. She even could've said they were siblings or something.

She could've told them anything other than what she did. 

“That’s…that's fine, because…because I'm- I’mhiswife.” She blurted out, trying to ignore the snort that sounded from Jake behind her somewhere. At least he was conscious enough to make fun of her, she thought before pushing on. “We’re…married. In marriage. W-we have been wed.” 

Jake, even through his imminent agony, was _laughing_. Amy’s cheeks were burning, and the EMT just stared at her blankly before sighing and letting her on. There was no way he’d believed that, but he clearly hadn't wanted to deal with her any further. 

She climbed into the back, sitting next to where Jake lay as the other medic cleaned his wound. She had heard that whole conversation and was grinning smugly as she worked, and Amy realized with a groan that she’d have to keep up the married façade if she didn't want to get kicked out. 

Jake stared up at her, amusement in his gaze. “Thanks for staying with me, _sweetheart_ ,” he droned through a grimace. Amy sighed, now regretting her decision even more than she had initially.

“So, how long have you two been together?” The medic asked, a mischievous grin on her face. Amy cursed inwardly and just turned a nervous smile at the other woman. 

“Um…two years.” Amy mumbled, praying that Jake would stay silent. Naturally, he didn't. 

“Yep. It was love at first sight.” Jake spoke brightly, mirth in his expression. He let out a quiet hiss as the medic worked, and Amy felt no pity whatsoever. 

Amy thought this EMT must’ve had it out for her, as she smirked slyly and continued with her questioning. “I can tell. So, how did you two meet?”

Before she could stop him, Jake spoke up and she glowered at him with all the heat she could muster.

“I’m _so_ glad you asked, uh…” 

“Celeste.” The medic finished for him.

“Celeste! Great. Well, it’s quite the story. You see, it all started when I singlehandedly took down an international drug smuggling ring and rescued her from certain death in the process. She–” Jake’s sentence was cut short as he tried (and failed) to stifle the pained cry he unleashed as an antiseptic was applied to his cut, and Amy took the opportunity to speak over him. 

“It's really not that great of a story, Celeste. Besides, he-he must be in a lot of pain, shouldn't he be resting right now?” She forced out nervously. 

Celeste just smiled to herself, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, yes. It's too bad, I was really invested in this story of yours.”

Jake abided, apparently in too much anguish to argue with their logic, but the look he shot Amy gave her a feeling that she would regret this later. 

Not two hours after Amy had wrapped up her day and gone home, her hunch was confirmed when her phone nearly buzzed itself off the kitchen table from the influx of messages sent from her partner. 

_Contact: Jake Peralta_  
Rcvd: 8:43 PM  
darling how is your evening so far 

_Contact: Jake Peralta_  
Rcvd: 8:43 PM  
tell me, are you enjoying having the house 2 urself while i’m off working to put food on our shared table

 _Contact: Jake Peralta_  
Rcvd: 8:44 PM  
do we need anything from the market, my dear? i can stop by on my way home and purchase some food with the joint account we share bc we love each other 

She rolled her eyes with a sigh, but no matter how much she tried to fight it, a smile lit up her face as she caught sight of the twelve consecutive heart emojis in his next message. Amy may have been dreading work the next day and the inevitable teasing to come, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it now, in the solitude of her apartment, silent but for the constant buzzing of her phone and her own laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t often that Jake and Amy spent time together outside of work for the sake of hanging out. Although they were frequently at each other’s apartments after hours, it was usually work-related; they’d spend at least two nights a week on one of their couches, eating takeout and poring over a case file. Consequently, it was a bit of a rare sight to see the two of them wandering aimlessly around a shopping mall on their day off, gesturing to different stores and bouncing gift ideas for Mother's Day off each other.

It had all started on a stakeout a few nights prior to the aforementioned day off – after all, sitting in a dark car for upwards of four hours with another human usually required some form of communication. A standard stakeout for the two detectives normally followed the same guidelines: some semi-awkward small talk leading to their everyday banter, accompanied by creative bets, impromptu car karaoke sessions, and overtly competitive games of I Spy. 

However, once in a while, their stakeout conversations gave way to more vulnerable subjects. The majority of what Jake and Amy knew about each other had been discovered during the hours they’d spent together in Jake’s mustang, scoping out some shady low-level mobster’s apartment to catch them in the middle of a deal, or waiting for a shipment of contraband to come in at a secluded dock somewhere. He’d learned of Amy’s inherent anxiety and how it had affected her childhood in a house full of teenage boys while they watched for signs of drug deals in an empty parking lot. She had found out about how Jake’s father had left him and his mother when he was seven and how he’d struggled with a lifetime of abandonment issues as a result while they sat outside a jewelry store that would later be targeted in an armed robbery.

This particular stakeout hadn’t been too different - they'd already managed to bet on how many pigeons would land on a specific rooftop and had played I Spy four times, and were just wrapping up a round of Two Truths and a Lie when the subject came up.

“So, you doing anything for Mother's Day?” Jake asked, leaning back in the driver’s seat. 

“I was gonna drive to my parent’s place to spend the day with my mom, but apparently my dad is taking her out for the day, so I'd only really get to see her for a few hours. I’m probably just gonna Skype them or something so I don't have to drive up.” She declared. “What about you?”

He shrugged, picking at a peeling piece of paint on the car door. “I dunno. Me and my mom were gonna go visit Nana’s grave, and then I was gonna make her dinner, but she’s gonna be out of town for most of the day.” He mumbled, his voice guarded. 

Amy looked over at him, furrowing her eyebrows. “Oh?” She prompted, confused at his sudden cautiousness. 

“Yeah, she-uh…I guess one of her friends is in the hospital or something, so she's driving out to Newark to see her.” 

“That's too bad.” She lamented, unsure. 

“Yeah. I just…I wanted to do something nice but I'm bad at presents and stuff. She's not doing too great right now, so I don't wanna just get her flowers, you know? That's a cop-out.” He remarked. 

His earnestness wasn't new to Amy, but it was still refreshing to see. Over the years she'd known Jake, she had come to learn that he wasn't comfortable being emotionally vulnerable around most people, preferring to hide behind immature jokes, so it was something akin to a privilege to see the more exposed side of him. 

Another thing she had learned about him is that he was terrible at asking for help, and she didn't have to be a detective to put two and two together. Whenever Jake was voluntarily unreserved around her, it usually meant he needed guidance and didn't know how to ask; so she put that thought to rest and spoke up with more assuredness. 

“Do you want me to help you look for something? I'm pretty good at that stuff, plus we both have the same day off next week.” She offered, hopefulness enunciating her words. 

His gaze met hers and he smiled, eyes alight with an unencumbered softness. “You don't mind?”

“Not at all. It might even end up being fun.” She grinned at him.

Nodding his head, he turned his eyes back to their target, blissfulness practically radiating off him. “It's a date.”

At that, Amy couldn't help but laugh. “Not yet. We've still got two weeks left on this bet, Peralta.”

He stuck his tongue out at her in mock anger, but the indescribable gentleness in his expression lingered. 

Three days and one unnecessarily competitive game of mall mini-golf later, Amy found herself wandering around a shopping centre, trying to convince Jake that a lifetime supply of Cap’n Crunch was _not_ a good Mother’s Day present.

“Why not?” He demanded, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – Cap’n Crunch was a war hero, and the primary male role model in my house when I was growing up.”

Amy just rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. “Cinnamon Toast Crunch is better than Cap’n Crunch in every way imaginable. It’s the superior Crunch.”

“Whatever you say, Crunch—” 

“JACOB!”

The word, yelled from somewhere behind them, cut off their conversation as Jake’s face rapidly descended into a grimace. 

Amy looked at him in confusion, and he cleared his throat. “Get ready, here comes Hurricane Esther.” He muttered. 

Still not following, she looked around for the source of his discomfort but was promptly cut off as the two of them were enveloped in a death grip of a hug by an eighty-something-year-old lady.

“Amy, this is my great aunt Esther.” Jake grumbled, his face squished against the woman’s shoulder.

“JACOB! I’M SO GLAD YOU’VE FINALLY FOUND LOVE,” Esther practically shouted as she released them, stepping back.

Amy sputtered for a moment, her ears turning pink. A heavy sigh came from beside her, and Jake pulled her close.

“Please just play along. Otherwise we _will_ be here for two hours while she tries to set me up with her friend Ruth’s granddaughter for the ninth time and lectures me about ‘putting myself out there’,” He muttered under his breath, adding air quotes around the last few words. She nodded slightly and turned back to face Esther, who was looking at them with pure joy through her large, cat-eyed glasses.

“Hi, Aunt Esther. This is Amy,” Jake spoke in a slightly raised tone, presumably so the elderly lady could hear him.

“AMY…THAT’S A LOVELY NAME TO MATCH SUCH A LOVELY LADY. HAS JACOB BEEN TREATING YOU WELL?” She crowed, looking her up and down.

“Y-yes, he’s wonderful,” She stammered, uncertain. She looked over to Jake, who was clearly trying to hold back his laughter; she could tell she was going to regret saying that later on.

“I’M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT. HIS MOTHER HAS TAUGHT HIM WELL.” Esther turned to Jake, adjusting her glasses. “YOU’VE CERTAINLY GROWN TO BE A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN. I REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE STILL SO LITTLE…” She mused. Amy perked up, silently willing the older woman to continue. 

A smile lit up Amy’s face as her prayers were answered, Esther droning on about a young Jake. 

“YOU KNOW, MY DEAR, YOU SHOULD BE GLAD YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS BOY WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE WAS SO SILLY WITH THAT NOSE RING OF HIS…OH, AND THAT STRANGE YELLOW HAT HE INSISTED ON WEARING EVERY DAY...” Esther continued, much to Jake's obvious chagrin. 

“YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO STAY AND CHAT, BUT I DO HAVE A LUNCH DATE WITH RUTH. YOU REMEMBER RUTH, RIGHT, JACOB? I’LL HAVE TO TELL HER TO INFORM HER GRANDDAUGHTER YOU’RE TAKEN.” 

He smiled politely at her before they were once again pulled into a bone-crushing embrace. “Goodbye, Aunt Esther. I'll tell mom you said hi.” 

Esther adjusted her glasses and pinched his cheek. “YOU DO THAT, JACOB. IT WAS LOVELY MEETING YOU, AMY. TREAT MY BOY WELL.” She exclaimed before making her departure.

The moment she was out of earshot, Amy let out the laughter she’d been holding in. “Oh, my god. And _I_ thought I had an overbearing aunt.”

Jake just glared at her, but she could see the amusement behind his grumpiness. “If you tell literally anyone about my high school nose ring, I'll tell Captain Holt about the time you said ‘Detective Peralta and _me_ ’ instead of ‘Detective Peralta and _I_ ’.”

She frowned at him. “Fine,” she huffed. “But that doesn't mean I won't bring it up constantly when we’re alone.”

A grin split his face and he started to say something back before Amy cut him off.

“Hey, your mom cooks a lot, right?”

“Uh…yeah.” Jake hesitated, uncertainty in his tone.

“Didn't you say that she had to throw away her favourite soup pot?” She said, pointing excitedly at a vintage housewares store with a huge sale sign out front. 

“Yeah, the handles broke, what’s your–” He stopped mid-sentence as he saw where she was pointing. “Santiago, you just saved Mother’s Day.” A smile lit up his features as they practically bounced to the store, excitement rolling off the two of them in waves. 

They ended up picking out a huge off-white soup pot that was decorated with painted floral vines around the edge and a matching set of serving utensils. The next day, as Amy spoke to her mother through Skype, her phone chimed with a picture Jake had taken of himself and his mom, who was holding up the gift she’d received and beaming. 

She didn't realize she was smiling until a voice sounded from her computer speakers. “What's got you so smitten, _mija_?” Her mom asked, curiosity in her voice.

Amy simply saved the picture and locked her phone, looking back to her laptop screen. “Nothing, mama.” She murmured, but the smile still lingered in her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

If anyone was a card-carrying certified expert in crashing Amy Santiago dates, it was Jake. It's precisely why she tried to avoid telling him about her dating life at all costs; he'd never gone so far as to make her date leave, but almost every time without fail, he would stop by their table and put on some stupid alias, or prank call her from five tables away. 

It had been a while since her and Teddy had split, but she still hadn't gotten back in the game yet. Amy was still wrestling with whatever concept of feelings she had for Jake, and just hadn't been ready. After some deep thought and a conversation with Kylie, she'd concluded that in order to move on, she’d have to get herself out there, so she’d let her friend set her up on a date. 

“I’m serious, Jake. If you try crashing this date, I will personally break into your house and destroy your Canadian VHS copy of Die Hard.” She had told him over lunch earlier. She hadn't revealed to him why this date was so important, but prayed that he would let it slide. 

“Don't worry about it. I got a date tonight too, so unfortunately for you, I will be unable to grace you with my presence.” He smiled through his words, but Amy could tell he wasn't firing on all cylinders. It had only been a week since Sophia dumped him, and he was still pretty mopey, but he clearly had the same idea as her: in order to move on, he'd just have to throw himself into it. 

She sighed, smiling back at him. “Thanks. Good luck on your date,” she had told him, and he’d thrown a thumbs up at her before bounding off to interrogate his perp. 

But now, it was nearing 9 PM, and Amy sat in the restaurant by herself, nervously fiddling with the clasp on her purse. Her date was supposed to meet her at 8:45, but he still hadn't shown, and people were starting to look at her with pity. 

It wasn't the first time she'd been stood up, but somehow, this time stung even more. This was supposed to be her chance at moving on, but the universe clearly had it out for her, as the clock had struck nine and she was still alone. 

Amy was just about to give up and leave when her phone chimed. Praying it was her date, she dug the phone out of her bag and unlocked it, but much to her dismay, it was from Jake. 

She typed in her passcode, prepared to shoot off a text telling her partner that she wasn't in the mood, but she froze upon reading the message.

_Contact: Pineapples_  
Rcvd: 9:02 PM  
where’s ur date??? did u show up way ahead of schedule again? 

_Contact: Pineapples_  
Rcvd: 9:02 PM  
you know, there is such a thing as being TOO punctual

A scowl crossed her face as she looked around with the intent to tell Jake to screw off. She was already having a crappy night, she didn’t need him making fun of her on top of it. Her eyes scanned the area, but to no avail. She glanced down as her phone buzzed again.

_Contact: Pineapples_  
Rcvd: 9:03 PM  
look outside :) 

Glancing out the window, her eyes landed on her partner, seated at a restaurant across the street with a pretty blonde woman on the other side of the table. Her glare faltered almost instantly as she read the concerned expression on his face, then her phone chimed again. 

_Contact: Pineapples_  
Rcvd: 9:04 PM  
hey, are you okay? do u need me to kick ur jerk date’s butt for blowing you off bc i am fully prepared 2 defend ur honor 

Warmth blossomed in her chest at his words, and she smiled to herself as she typed out a reply.

> _Contact: Pineapples_  
>  Sent: 9:05 PM  
>  That'd be fantastic. He was supposed to be here at 8:45.

> _Contact: Pineapples_  
>  Sent: 9:06 PM  
>  How's your date going? Hopefully better than mine.

She waited for a reply for a few minutes before locking her phone and looking around again. Much to her confusion, Jake was no longer at his table, and neither was his date – her befuddlement was quickly put to rest, though, as Jake slid into the chair across from her, reassurance in his expression.

“Rough night?” He asked, voice soft. 

“Yeah, you could say that. Where’s your date?” She prompted, raising an eyebrow. Logically, Amy knew she’d probably gone to the bathroom and Jake had snuck off across the street to say hi, but a small part of her wished that it wasn't true. She really didn't want to be left alone. 

It must've been her lucky day, as Jake grinned at her sheepishly. “Uh, she…left, very suddenly. Something about how I'm the worst.”

“Jake…”

He sighed, defeated. “Fine. She was awful and was making fun of you for getting stood up so I told her to grow up and ditched her for you, and now you are going to play along so that everyone in this dumb fancy restaurant will stop staring at you. You're welcome,” He grinned before clearing his throat, raising his voice. “Sorry I'm so late, darling. Car troubles.”

She grinned at him, the warm feeling in her chest growing tenfold. 

“It's fine. Is it running alright now?” She replied, amusement alight in her eyes. 

“Yep, works like a charm.” Jake lowered his voice momentarily, smiling hugely. “You know, I'm pretty sure the two of us have pretended to date so many times that it's a marketable skill by now.”

“What kind of market would require fake dating as a skill?” She replied, laughter in between her words.

His face lit up as he snapped, pointing finger guns at her. “Acting! What do you say, Santiago? Wanna run away to the hills of Hollywood and make money on pretending to be in love with each other?” He grinned. 

Amy thought she caught the briefest flash of disappointment in his eyes as he said the words, but shook it off, attributing it to the hunger rolling through her gut. She hadn't eaten since lunchtime that day, and had been counting on having dinner half an hour ago. 

Her stomach grumbled loudly, prompting an amused snort from Jake. “You a little hungry there, Ames?” He grinned.

She groaned in place of an answer, looking around. “This place is packed. It'll be at least another 20 minutes before we eat.” Amy turned to level her gaze on Jake, his expression matching hers.

“You thinking what I'm thinking?” Jake raised an eyebrow, eyes shining with mirth. 

Amy grinned at him. “Pizza and Super Smash Bros at your place?”

He beamed, enthusiastic affection written all over his face. “You know me so well.”

With that, he stood and offered her a hand in a dramatic fashion. She accepted it, slipping her arm through his elbow as they rushed out of the over-crowded restaurant, laughter peppering each step.


	6. Chapter 6

It was practically a foolproof plan at this point, Amy had told herself.

It was the most logical way to pull off this sting, she had chanted inwardly, like a mantra.

They’d done it so many times, and there was no reason for her to feel so strange this time around, she’d reminded herself.

Except the last reassurance wasn’t true at all. Over all the times Jake and Amy had pretended to be in love, she always avoided thinking that one day they wouldn’t be pretending.

But the thoughts of _what-if_ that she’d pushed away so frequently were now being brought to the front of her mind full-force as she stared blankly at Jake across the restaurant table, while he struggled to come up with a believable answer to the question that lingered in the air.

“So, how did you know she was the one?”

Jake’s expression rapidly descended from ‘nervous about the case at hand’ to ‘straight-up panicking about his imminent feelings’. He scrambled for a moment before stammering his response, at which Amy couldn’t help but blush. 

“Um, you know…just…whenever I look at her face! And the…attached physique.”

She smiled at him, and somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that he basically just said she was attractive in the most innocuous way she’d ever heard. But that thought was quickly pushed to the backburner as the same question was redirected to her.

“And you?” The smiling, over-excited woman turned to her, inquisitive.

Amy weighed her options for a beat, attempting to keep a level head. Her choices were pretty simple: she could do has he had and give an on-the-spot response that barely scratched the surface of his true feelings, or she could throw caution to the wind and be honest with both Jake, the woman questioning their relationship, and herself.

The truth was, she knew he was the one – both by terms of their friendship and their working relationship – by how he never failed to brighten her day. How he could tell when she needed to laugh, and provided her with that escape almost too easily. He had always known what she needed, even before their partnership had developed the steady give-and-take rhythm it now held. Although the two of them were total opposites from day one, they complemented each other in all ways, shapes, and forms, even if it took them a few years to realize it.

And then Amy looked up at his waiting gaze, at the hopefulness hiding behind the nervousness in his eyes, and something clicked. So she spoke with as much honesty and sincerity as she could muster, earnestness packing the four words that left her mouth next.

“He makes me laugh.”

To an outside eye, it really wasn’t that big of a statement. But from the look that crossed Jake’s face, she could tell that he knew she was telling the truth, and it was more than she’d offered him in the last few weeks.

“And, you know, there’s really no one else’s opinion who I care about more than hers, so…”

The two of them, by nature, were competitive in pretty much everything they did. They constantly tried to one-up each other, but it was clear that Jake’s statement wasn’t an attempt to outdo Amy’s honesty.

The next 20 minutes went by in a blur, the pair making semi-believable small talk with the table next to them, and Amy’s insistent _what-if_ musings were pushed to the back of her mind as they fell back into the easy rhythm they’d spent so long developing.

But in the brief moment between when she felt Jake’s hand on her back, pulling her into him, and the moment their lips touched, that’s when her years of wondering – her countless hours spent pondering what could be between them – were finally put to rest.

And the next day in the evidence lockup, when she said the words that confirmed what they had both been thinking over the last twenty-four hours, that’s when she realized that his train of thought was aligned with hers.

_“So a lot of change around here, huh?”_

Those few words were the catalyst for everything that was to come for Jake and Amy.

Because when she pulled away to meet his gaze and saw the look of uninhibited awe in his eyes, she knew they weren’t pretending anymore.


End file.
